Survival
by SmileyPenguin
Summary: If you almost lost the person closest to you, and it was your fault, how far would you go to protect them? If something inside you caused it, would you keep it to help people? It's rough, and having great friends helps. Shay could use that kind of help.
1. Chapter 1

How can people go on?

When you think about it, human's bodies are strong. They fight for survival, even when the people aren't trying to fight themselves. Any little circumstance can be overcome if the person has a strong enough will. So why can people be broken so easily, in every sense of the word? A normal person could be crushed under the right conditions, so why does it keep fighting?

When you think about it, the answer is simple.

A human's last instinct is to survive.

* * *

I kept pedaling, hoping to reach the store soon. It was in a part of town I never even knew existed before today. The store was called "The Basics", a reclusive place that had high reputation on the net for its merchandise. Some of the buildings I passed looked rundown and raggedy, while others were closed down and boarded up. It was a dangerous neighborhood, and I dared not tell my dad where I was going. I was getting a little worried about finding the place when I actually did. The building looked older, like it had been around for a few decades. I hopped off my bike and pushed it into the rack in front of the store and went in, no bell ringing above my head like I was used to.

There was a bell, but it made no noise.

"What's the point of a bell with no sound?" I thought, curious.

No one was inside, but that didn't stop me. Sure I was nervous, but everything made me nervous. I was paranoid like that. I had to practically hold a gun to my own head to convince myself to come down here on my own. I looked around. Tall shelves were everywhere, and I walked down one, looking for what I wanted. It caught sight of it from the corner of my eye. It was on the highest shelf, and I cursed my parents for making me so damn short. I stood on my toes, nearly climbing the shelves before a man's hand reached up from behind me and grabbed it. It was an angry-looking older man. Was he angry at me? Probably. What did I do?

I wasn't sure whether to think that this man got the book for me or he was getting it instead of me.

"Uh, h-hello. Um…th-thank you for getting that sir..."

He didn't look angry at all then. He looked more mellow than before. I relaxed a little.

"You're welcome Miss." He said, handing the book to me. His voice was deep and rumbling, but sounded very confident. "And what may you be reading young lady?"

I was surprised. Not a lot of people were so nice to me, considering practically everyone in town knew that I hung around my best friend Dusty, and he had…somewhat of a reputation for a little shoplifting here and there. Nothing too big, and nobody paid him any mind anymore.

"'Tales of a Time Lost' by a guy named Aleksey Novikov. It's a novel…from the early 1900's I've been looking for forever." I said, getting used to this man.

"I've read it. It's an exceptional story. I hope you'll like it."

This old guy was nice. I could only hope he wasn't dangerous. But he looked too nice to be dangerous. His pure white hair was slicked back in a professional way and his eyes were a dark green and they looked tired.

"Well, thanks again sir." I said, smiling a polite smile.

"Now I'll have none of that. My name is Martin Whitebrooks. You can call me Mr. White."

'O-okay…Mr. White. My name's Shay Phillips."

We exchanged a few happy comments on the book before I went to the counter to pay. The book surprisingly wasn't too expensive. I pulled out the bills I had been saving up and stopped at the cash register. He didn't move to open it and he looked at it, his face rather calm.

"What's the matter? D-didn't I give you enough?"

"Yes, this machine just sticks sometimes… hold on a moment…"

He hit the side of the cash register with his flattened palm and it slammed open. The sound of his hand against the metal made me jump a little. He put my money in and gave me my change.

"Here. You seem like a young lady who enjoys reading, something to encourage to in today's world. Take this. In case you need something else to read. I'll be there for some recommendations." He said, smiling a small smile.

He handed me a card. On the front were the bold words "The Basics" and a phone number and e-mail address, while on the back it said, "We hope you get back to us."

I laughed inwardly at the play on words.

"Thank you Mr. White. I'll be sure to."

I left the store, getting on my bike and riding away. I didn't know that that man would influence me so much.

* * *

I hopped off of my bike and put it in the garage, moving inside the house.

"Dad! I'm home!" I shouted at the front door into the house.

"Shay! I thought you got out of school at three! Where'd you go?" he shouted back from his office.

"I stopped off at Dusty's house!"

He rolled on his desk chair out of his office and lowered his glasses, raising an eyebrow.

"No really. Where were you?"

'How'd he…'

"I…stopped off at a bookstore downtown. I know you don't like me going that far through town without telling you, but I had to get this book. Sorry Dad…"

"It's okay." He sighed. "I'm just upset that you tried to lie. You really are a bad liar you know."

"How'd you know?"

"Dustin came by an hour ago asking for you."

I laughed again, and moved to his office, looking over his shoulder at his computer screen.

"How's work going Dad?" I asked.

"Eh, it goes. Could you please make me something to eat sweetie? I would, but if I leave this for even a minute, I'll be behind all night." He asked, pleading with me.

"Sure Dad."

I looked in the fridge for something to make, sighing at the little amount of food inside.

"Ugh…I have to go shopping tomorrow…Do I have enough money?"

As I pulled the ingredients for me and Dad's dinner, feeling a tad moody about having to go out for groceries for the second time that week with not much money, I got a little pain in my head. My temple was pulsating, like my heartbeat was pounding in my head.

"Ow! Ugh…where's the ibuprofen?"

I found the little reddish pills on the table and swallowed them, hoping they would help quickly.

* * *

"Here Dad. One barbeque chicken, mashed potatoes and corn platter ala Shay."

"Thanks Shay. You're swell." He said, grinning widely, in that corny way he does.

"I know it." I smiled, my dinner in hand. "I'm heading up for the night, 'kay? Will you be up late?"

"When am I not?"

I smiled, leaving Dad to his work and going up the stairs to my room.

"g'night Dad."

"'night."

* * *

I set my empty plate on my desk and moved to my bed with my new book, cracking it open and getting settled for the night.

----

_**A man can live through battle after battle, scar after scar, nightmare after nightmare, and move on like life hasn't changed. One man struggles to help a world that doesn't want it.**_

"Sounds cool…"

_**The swords pierced Halak's flesh, as he did not try to stop his attackers. He knew that only when their deed was carried out would he have a chance to save them from their horrific fate.**_

I yawned and looked at my clock.

"Crap…2 a.m…better get some shut-eye…."

I couldn't fall asleep any faster when I laid my head down, lying on my side. Everything felt blurry and I guess I drifted off.

----

"Shay. Shay, get your lazy ass up!"

Someone was poking my head. It sounded like Dusty.

"Dusty…what're you…It's like 4 in the morning…What are you doing here? Did you climb through the window again?" I said, rubbing my eyes.

"I didn't see you today. What's the point of us being neighbors if you're not home? Where were you?"

"I went downtown to get a book. What have you been up to?"

"Nothing, just wanted to see you. You know I can't stay away." he said, smirking. I could feel my face get warm. I know he didn't mean it, but it always made me embarrassed. Dusty was very flirty with girls and I could never understand why he continued it with me, considering we had been friends since the second grade. I knew him too well to know that he would make anything of his actions.

"What are you really doing here?" I asked, trying to hide the blush on my face. He shook his head, probably not believing that he got me again.

"I finally got back at Charlie Davidson from the football team. He won't be making fun of you or me anytime soon!" he laughed, taking off his jacket. I shot up from my bed.

"Dusty, what happened? What did you do?" I asked, feeling anxious. "You didn't-"

"Yep. He won't be bothering us anymore. I took him out clean."

"Dusty! You can't keep doing things like this! You already got in enough trouble from beating up that kid from the private academy!"

"You know the only reason I got in trouble for that was because that rich brat was a total candy-ass with the police chief for a dad!" Dusty laughed, keeping his voice low. I sighed. Dusty was always quick to violence, and he never stopped to think about the consequences of his actions. He was the kind of guy who would give me the C.D. I'd been wanting for forever, only to proudly tell me he swiped it from a store not ten minutes before.

"Dusty…you're cool and everything don't get me wrong, but you've gotta stop." I sighed, looking at him pleadingly. Inside, I felt like I was just repeating myself. In reality, it was because I really was.

"You _always_ have to be the voice of reason?"

"Dusty…"

"Shay…you don't get it. As long as those rich snobs and bullies have something to hold over us, they'll never stop the crap they pull! We have to look out for ourselves or no one will!"

Dusty looked almost frenzied as he ranted. He was always passionate about the things he did and said. Some of what he said seemed right, but still wrong.

He and I were always the "underprivileged" kids, and we didn't get the latest stuff, but we didn't care. Everyone one else seemed to pay more attention to it then we did. As we got older, we started to get teased for it by more "financially supported" kids. Mostly girls teased me a lot for not wearing girly clothes or doing my hair in a more feminine way, but everyone really **bullied** Dusty. Dusty was the one with the guts to fight back, not to mention stand up for me. To be honest, I had liked him for a while now, a lot.…I was miserable, always feeling sorry for myself. All the kids had turned me into more of a recluse to everyone except Dusty and Dad, and my self-esteem plummeted. My mom divorcing my dad and moving to California when I was five, telling me it wasn't my fault and then having another kid, just made it worse. But Dusty's reaction to being poor and bullied was to be angry towards everyone. Stealing, acting out, anything bad you could think of really. Standing out wasn't the thing for me. Dusty, however, was the epitome of standing out.

"Dusty…c'mon, don't get so mad…" I said, moving towards him a little. I got scared easily, but seeing Dusty like this made me nervous and worried for him.

"Shay! You have to stand up for yourself! You know I'd do everything to protect you, but you need to speak up! Show some backbone! Teach all of them a lesson!!" He put his hands on my shoulders, gripping them forcefully.

"Dusty, just calm down. C'mon, sit down and take a deep breath."

I took his arm, leading him to my bed and waited for him to calm down. He took a few deep breaths and smiled at me.

"Thanks Shay. You always know how to calm me down." he said thoughtfully. I felt my face heat up again. He sighed and laid his head on my shoulder, putting his arms around my waist. I was feeling a little light-headed.

"Shay, I don't know what I'd do without you…I know that I'm flirty and moody and a bit of a pain in the ass, but you can stand me when everyone else can't…" he said quietly.

"Dusty, what are you-"

I couldn't finish my sentence before he leaned his head up and kissed me.

It was very light on my lips, but I felt as if I could faint. He pulled his lips away from mine and smiled warmly.

"I love you Shay. I wanted to let you know that." he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He leaned in and kissed me again. I felt dizzier and dizzier, but despite how out of it I felt, my feelings for Dusty took over. I kissed back, harder than I intended, and Dusty seemed thrilled, smirking into the kiss. He moved one of his hands to my face to cup my cheek, the other one stayed on my waist. I had never kissed before, and I was just guessing on what to do. I put both my hands gently on his chest, not pushing him away. Just to be a little closer.

Dusty was closing his eyes, his hands starting to roam. I was embarrassed, but I loved Dusty, and I was willing to do what made him happy. I didn't know if I was really ready, but being with him like this, Dusty seemed so loving and inviting. His hands were gentle, running up and down my sides, and touching me intimately, but I was so nervous.

"Dusty…" I breathed out, pulling away from the kiss to talk. "I don't know if I…I can…"

"Shay…I know you're shy…I love you so much. I won't go too far, I just want you to know that…some day, I want to…you know…**with **you. Not until you're ready though…"

My face couldn't have gone any redder. I laid my head against his chest and closed my eyes.

"Dusty…"

He tilted my chin up, lifting my face to his gently. Before I knew it, I was below him as he was holding himself up over me. I lifted my hands to his face, holding his cheeks in them. His shaggy dirt blond hair hung down and brushed my knuckles as he looked at me. He had a smooth face, whether he was too young or he had started shaving it I couldn't recall.

"My Dad is downstairs…" I said softly.

"I guessed. But I'll be quiet if you will." he said grinning. I smiled, loving him even more. Then I realized, I had never responded to him.

"Dusty…I love you too…" I whispered, pulling his head down next to mine. I could imagine his smile as he pushed farther and kissed my neck.

"But no matter what happens, I want us to be together. No matter what…" he whispered what I was thinking.

"Me too…I…I want us to be…together…"

I wasn't going to give myself to Dusty just yet, but being with him like this, being intimate with the boy I loved as he kissed me deeper, I felt so close to him. His hand slipped under my shirt, and his fingers were cold. I took in a sharp breath against his lips and he laughed, making his chest rumble. It made me smile softly. I shuddered as he teased me, and I slipped my hands under his shirt, scratching his abs with my nails gently. He moaned softly into my mouth and I smiled.

The thought of how fast we were moving and how shy and excited I was at the same time, my face heating up and feeling Dusty near me, the thought of him loving me after I had liked him for so long, all these emotions moving through my system and being dominated by the feeling of Dusty against me, my head started to pound.

The emotions I was experiencing swam around in my head, clouding my mind. I couldn't see clearly, and my head was hurting like crazy.

"Shay? What's wrong?" I heard Dusty asked, sounding panicked. My head hurt too much to even open my eyes and look at him.

Something happened at that moment. There was no time. Just flashes and clouds. Not in front of my eyes, but somewhere deeper. I heard a crash and a scream out of the shrouded darkness, and then, nothing.

* * *

"Sh---!! --ke u-! --at hap---ed?! --hay!!"

Someone was screaming and crying. I felt scratchy stubble on my cheek. It was wet.

"Shay!! Wake up! What happened? Please Shay, wake up!!"

I opened my eyes slowly, despite how sore I felt. Dad was holding me off the floor, crying.

"Dad…what…what's going on?" I mumbled, loud enough for him to hear.

"Shay! Thank god! You're okay!" he said, his eyes still wet, but smiling. But…where was-

"Dad…where's Dusty?"

"He's in the other room! The wall's smashed to pieces!! What the hell happened in here!?!"

I tried to push myself up out of his arms, my vision kind of blurry as I stumbled towards him. I could see an outline of a huge hole in my bedroom wall. I could see Dusty, lying against the wall in the next room, his head bleeding a lot from a gash over his eye, going up to his head.

"Dusty!! Oh my god!! Are you okay!?! Dusty!!!"

I kept shouting his name, shaking his shoulders, anything I could think of to try to wake him up. Nothing was working.

I started crying into his shoulder, my body feeling almost as lifeless as his looked. Then, I felt his warm breath on my neck.

"Dusty!! You're okay!!"

"What…h-happened…"

"I'm not sure…there was a scream and-"

"What…Shay…I can't under…stand you when you're…crying like that..." he groaned.

I wiped the tears out of my eyes and sobbed one last time, looking straight at him.

"I…I don't know…Dusty, please tell me you're okay! Something weird happened to me and I just-"

"Shay, don't…don't be upset…I hate to see you cry…My head feels funny…and…my…my ribs hurt a lot…Shay, you've got…blood on your hands…"

The blood was his. His eyes were half-closed, and he reached his hand to me. I sniffled and held it against my cheek, confusion and wooziness plastered on his face. I tried to say something to make it better.

"I…I never…I never meant to-"

"Shay," Dad started. "I'm calling an ambulance!! Stay here with Dustin!!"

He ran downstairs and I was with Dusty, alone. I held onto his hand crying softly until he passed out and the ambulance came, rushing him to the hospital.

* * *

**-Face turns red and hides under desk-**

**I…can't believe I just wrote that…scene…I will never write anything like that again if I have a say in it!**

**We will never speak of this again, agreed?**

**Anyway, I wanted to write an X-men Evolution OC fic that was mostly centered around the life of a teenager, then a teenager with a few extra problems. I.E.: mutant powers. So, a teenager such as myself, will have a great time writing as a character around my own age. I just recently turned 16, so, I may be a little naïve of a writer, but I'll try my damn hardest to give you a fic to be proud of. I actually wrote this about…¾ of a year ago, but I edited the good parts from the bad stuff and posted it.**

**My most popular story is my first, An Unpleasant Encounter, A Johnny the Homicidal Maniac fan fiction. People tell me all the time how much they love my OC Danielle, and how non Mary-sue-ish she is, but it inflates my ego all the more…-sigh…-**

**The first chapter of it isn't that good, but that was practically the first thing I typed up, and it was so long ago I can't bear to change it.**

**Anyway, I hope that Shay will be as great as Danielle, and that you will enjoy her all the more. Ask if you have any questions so far and from now on.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, and welcome to the second chapter of Survival! I hope you like this chapter. I sure would like some reviews, I tell you what. Getting the reviews really isn't that important to me, but I would appreciate it! Please and thank you, **

**SmileyPenguin.**

Disclaimer: I do not own X-men Evolution, and never will, and I tell you, that's a damn shame...

* * *

The sun came up soon the next day, and I didn't want to feel the warmth on my skin. It was like I never wanted to feel it again. It's hard to explain, but everything just seemed pointless. I never wanted to get off my bed, even with that giant hole in the wall making fun of me. All I could do was wait to hear if Dusty was okay or not.

I heard the doorbell ring, but made no effort to get up. My curiosity did get the better of me and I got up and stood by my doorway, listening by the stairs to what was going on downstairs.

"Hello? What do you want?" said Dad, sounding a little tired.

"Hello Mr. Phillips. My name is Charles Xavier. I'm the head of my institute and I'm here to see your daughter." I heard a man say. He sounded polite, but what did he want with me?

"We're not really in the mood for visitors right now." Dad said, sounding a little ticked off. "Now if you'll please leave-"

"Sir! We don't mean to intrude! We just want to help." A girl shouted reassuringly.

"Help? You don't know who my daughter is or how she's feeling right now, miserable by the way, so please just-"

"Sir, we think that what happened to your daughter last night has to do with….our studies."

"What do you mean? How do you know what happened!?"

"May we come in?"

There was a long pause but I heard the door creak a little.

"Alright, but you better not do anything to upset her…"

I could hear them come in, whoever they were. Dad came to the stairs and saw me.

"Shay! You're up. Could you…come downstairs please? They're some people here to see you." He said, trying to look comforting. I nodded and came down, but stopping at the end, just to peek around the corner to look at them. There was a bald man in a wheelchair, and a tall girl with long red hair. The man saw me and turned his chair to look at me.

"Ah. Shay, I am Professor Charles Xavier. This is one of my students, Miss Jean Grey."

"Hello. It's nice to meet you." She said, holding out her hand. I backed up, feeling bad. I didn't want anything to happen to her like Dusty. She looked confused, but sympathetic.

"You probably don't feel very good about yourself right now, do you?" she asked. I didn't do anything.

"Could you please tell us a little more about what happened last night Shay?" the man asked. My eyes widened and I started to tear up without realizing it. Dad, and they, saw this and he tried to defend me.

"I don't think she is quite ready for that. Maybe you should-"

"No…Dad…I'll tell them."

He looked surprised, but nodded and I sat down on the couch. I started to tell them what happened.

"Last night, I was sleeping when Dusty-My friend-came in through the window and woke me up."

"He came in through the window?" Dad asked, surprised and a little angry.

"Y-yeah. Like he always does…We started…talking about…stuff…and…and then…everything got weird and cloudy and…I don't know…I heard a crash and I passed out. Dad woke me up and Dusty…"

I couldn't say anything. I hung my head, too afraid to go on.

"Is…Is he alright?" the girl asked.

"We're waiting for that news still. He was taken to the hospital a few hours ago. His parents are up there with him, but we haven't gotten wind of anything yet." Dad said grimly. The professor had a weird look on his face as I portrayed what I could imagine what looked like horror and sadness mixed together.

"…His head was bleeding really badly…and he said that his ribs hurt…I hope that he'll be alright…" I said quietly. There was a silence before the professor spoke up.

"Shay. I believe you are the latest awakened mutant."

There was a silence

"A…mutant?"

"She's a mutant?" Dad asked, eyes wide.

"Dad, what's a mutant?" I asked, surprised he knew. The professor seemed surprised too.

"There is a gene in humans that will come out sometime after puberty or at birth. It can cause powers to come out from the subconscious. It's basically a mutation in the gene." Dad said.

I sat there on my couch, mulling all this over in my head. My dad seemed distraught.

"Sir…How did you know that?" asked the girl.

"Shay's grandfather was a powerful mutant. The gene passed over your mother, and I was hoping it would pass over Shay, but it seems…she's a mutant too. Shay, I just didn't want you to suffer the way your grandfather did growing up…"

I thought about what Dad said. Grandfather was alive until I was nine. He always told stories about how cruel people were and his childhood, but I was a kid! I didn't think anything of it. Thinking back now I can see how much he hated people, but he always was nice and loving towards me and my Mom and Dad.

"Shay…" he said, putting his hands on my shoulders. "Everything's okay…we'll figure this out…"

"I know this is a little sudden, but at my institute in New York, I help mutants gain control of their powers. I can help _you_."

"I think it would be best for her to stay here." Dad said bluntly.

"Mr. Phillips, please, think about it. All the students at the institute were just like your daughter at one point. Scared, didn't know how to control their powers, afraid of being different than everyone else, but they are a lot better off now! They are all in control and learning more about their powers every day and-"

"I think that Shay needs to be with me. She's been through enough already."

"Dad."

He looked at me, as did the other two.

"This school…it sounds nice…but, I want to hear about Dusty before I make any decisions…maybe…with this school…what happened…c-can be controlled so it never happens again."

I didn't give it a second thought. The professor let out his breath and looked to me.

"Shay, about your friend…the world is not ready for knowledge of mutants. You may want to talk it over with him if and when you decide to leave for the institute."

I nodded slowly, taking in what he was saying. I began to grow curious of being a mutant.

"So, Professor Xavier, Are you a mutant too?" I asked. "And Jean here too?"

"Yes. I am a telepath, as well as Jean." he explained.

"Could…Could I see? Please?"

The Professor smiled a little, and nodded. He put his hands to his temples and his voice filled my head.

_**You see Shay, I can communicate with others through their thoughts**_.

I squeaked a little under my breath. That was freaky…

_**And Jean,**_

Jean raised one hand to her head and the other to the coffee table in front of the couch. The mail and coasters on it started to float around and spin around each other in the air above our heads.

"That's…different…"

"Yes, but so are you. If I knew what happened exactly last night and what the environment you were in, I could better understand what exactly what your power is. If I may?"

He wheeled his chair up to me, Jean putting our mail and coasters back. He reached out a hand and waited for my response. I nodded slowly and he nodded back putting his hands on my head.

Everything that happened last night, from Dusty sneaking in to my room, to the…um…intimacy of our meeting, to the clouding of my head, to the blast and the whole in the wall, to seeing Dusty away in the ambulance, to now. The Professor pulled his hands away, and I, knowing what he had seen, pleaded with him through my mind.

_**Please don't tell Dad about what happened with Dusty… **_

He seemed to understand, but he coughed into his fist and his face was just a tint of red. I felt so freaking embarrassed to have this guy I barely knew, not only know about that, but see it…see it all…_Craaap_...Crap crap crap crap _**crrraaaaaaap…**_

"What?" Dad asked, leaning closer to me and the Professor. "What did you see?"

The Professor looked at me for a moment, his face still a little reddish, then turned to Dad.

"It seems that when Shay is experiencing…a very strong emotion, or too many at once, she changes the matter around her and last night, she solidified and accelerated it to create an explosion of sorts, sending Dustin through the wall. I'm suspecting that she has the power of matter manipulation."

I kind of understood what he was talking about, and I was glad he didn't tell Dad anything...I was thinking about the exact emotions I had experienced when the blast had occurred, when the phone rang.

I tensed up, looking at Dad. He nodded at me and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

There was a long pause, and Dad just kept up a string of "yes" and "That's right", and then, after what seemed the longest time, he turned to me.

"Dustin's awake."

I felt the flow of happiness well up inside me, and I motioned for him to tell me more. He listened to the person on the other end of the phone some more and turned to me again.

"He's asking for you."

"We have to go." I said firmly. Dad got an apologetic look on his face, and I started to panic.

"Shay, It'll take a while to get downtown. The car's in the shop again, and I-"

"It would be no inconvenience to us if we drove you and your daughter there." the Professor offered. I was so glad he said that. I have a feeling that he offered because he could feel me getting upset and didn't want another incident on his hands.

* * *

We were soon in the hospital lobby. I couldn't be more nervous. Was Dusty really badly hurt? Was he going to recover? Would he hate me? Did he know it was me?

Would he be able to forgive me if he did know what really happened?

The doctor came up to us and look at Dad and the Professor, ignoring the chilren in the room. Like me and Jean were to naïve to understand what going on! Xavier didn't even know Dusty! and since when do high schoolers not understand injuries!?

'Okay, calm down Shay...no need to make enemies with the people who were helping Dusty, provided that they weren't as **_annoying_** as this guy.

"Are you here to see Dustin Conner?" he asked the two of them.

"Yes. Is he alright?" Dad asked.

"Follow me, I'll explain along the way."

We were in the hall, passing room after room, each one with a different person and a different illness. I saw children sitting with worried parents, teenage boys with broken arms and scolding mothers plus their grinning dads, men with their wives with their pregnant bellies, all these people so close together…made me want to be by Dusty's side even more.

"Dustin Conner has three fractured ribs and some head trauma, along with some bruising. He's been wrapped up and he's on some pain medication, and he'll recover soon."

"How soon?" I asked sternly. The doctor looked down to me, finally seeming to notice I was there.

"Well, the ribs will heal in about six to ten weeks, but the head trauma, a concussion grade two, he was unconscious and woke up on the ride to the hospital, and he couldn't remember things for a few hours, but he's fine now. We stitched up the wound on his head and he'll lose that in a few months as well. He will have a scar, but no long-term damage."

No long-term damage? Yeah right…a scar to always remind me and him what happened.

He came to a door, Dusty's door. Damn it, damn it! I was so nervous to see him…The doctor opened it, leading us in to him.

I stiffened. He was lying in the bed in a hospital johnny, looking out the window. His head was bandaged up above his eye and along his head, covering his stitches. He turned to us, his eyes searching us.

Our eyes met, and shivers went down my spine. I could see the bruises on his arms and a big purple and brown one crawling out from underneath his bandage, and I could see how much he was hurting. I could only hope that the pain meds that he was taking were working.

"Shay." he said, a grin creeping onto his face. I relaxed a little and moved to his bedside, my hands not really knowing what to do or where to go.

"Dusty…" I started, my hands moving to his, seemingly on their own. "How…are you feeling?"

"Fine." he said, his voice just a little rough. "A little shaken up, but fine. How are you holdin' up?"

"I…I'm not really sure…Dusty…something. There's something you should know…"

I looked to Dad, the Professor and Jean. The doctor followed their example and left us by ourselves. I looked to Dusty again, squeezing his hands tighter.

"Dusty, the thing that happened…last night. It was-"

"-you? Yeah I guessed as much."

I felt my heart skip a beat. What did he mean by that? He must've hated me, I thought as I started to tremble.

He just smiled again and squeezed my hand back. I felt surprised.

"You're...not mad?"I_ asked._

"You and I both agreed. We'll be together no matter what could happened. I believe this counts as "what could happen.". I don't know exactly what happened though…"

"Dusty, " I started, not really knowing how to explain it to him, or even what it was really. "I…Do you know what a mutant is?" I asked carefully.

"You mean like…mutated genes?" he replied, his face the same. I took a deep breath.

"Yeah….Well, there's a gene in me…that's mutated, and it gave me…powers, I guess…"

So, I explained everything to him. The explosion, the "matter manipulation" ( to the best of my knowledge), and the cause of my powers coming out. He seemed a little embarrassed at the mention of last night, but not as much as me. He was actually trying to hide his grin from me, but I think he knew I could see him. We moved onto after the explosion and everything up until now.

"So, who were those people with your dad and the doc?"

The thought of the Professor's offer made my heart sink a little.

"That's Professor Xavier…He came over this morning…He, and the girl Jean Grey, they're mutants too…they heard about what happened and…"

He looked at me strangely, and I had to bite my lip to continue.

"They want me to come to their school in New York…to learn to control my powers."

It was quiet for a moment. I felt the burning sadness rushing through my head. I tried to calm down, so nothing would happen, but it wasn't working very well.

"I don't want to leave you," I told him. "but I'm afraid…that if I don't get these powers under control…something bad could happen. What happened last night was from good emotions! What if we got into a fight!? I mean now it's a few ribs and a concussion, but next time if I was angry I could kill-"

I couldn't go on. I felt tears slide down my cheeks and my throat felt funny. I squeezed his hands even harder. I couldn't bare the weight of his death on my conscious. I loved him too much.

He squeezed my hand and told me to sit down in the chair close to the bed. I calmed me down and the tears stopped. He gave me a pained grin.

"Shay, you don't have to stay here for my sake. You're right."

Before I could ask him what about, he continued.

"You should go. Go and learn more about your powers. With my injuries, you wouldn've been able to see me that much anyway. And once I'm better, I'll come out and see you."

I felt his warm hand on my face.

"I'll love you even if we're miles away. I thought you knew that. It'll be awful lonesome without ya here though." he joked. I laughed. He was the only boy I knew that could make my heart race and put a smile on my face at the same time. If only I'd told him I loved him earlier, maybe we wouldn't be pulled apart so soon. A question formed in my head.

"Dusty, when did you first know you loved me?" I asked.

He looked like he was thinking for a minute, then his face lit up.

"Do you remember that time in first grade when you got chased by that group of third graders at the park and I found you hiding in my closet?"

I did. They were angry at me for one reason or another, I went to Dusty's house instead of mine. He wasn't home yet and he found me. I don't quite remember why I hid in his closet, but when he finally showed up, I was in hysterics, and it took three of his mom's cupcakes to calm me down. When my dad got home from work that day, he teased me about having a little boyfriend, and I got so embarrassed and mad at him, and he just laughed. If only he knew how right he was.

"Yeah."

"Well, I just remembered that I wanted to protect you, and that I wanted you to stay." he grinned. ""I was too little back then, but now I remember how much I liked you. When did you know you liked me?"

I tried to remember exactly when, but it seemed like I had liked him forever. Then it hit me.

"It was in seventh grade, when you got beat up by those high schoolboys. I came and found you behind the school all worn out and bruised up. You were really shaken up about it and you stayed at my house the whole weekend. Seeing you so upset made me realize that you were very special to me, and if anything happened to you, I'd never forgive myself..."

He squeezed my hand again and looked at me, seeming very happy. it made me smile, and my face felt very warm and my head felt light again.

"You were important to me too. You still are…" he said, looking at me. "I want to be able to protect **you**. But Shay, you gotta go to that school, and I want you to give it your all, for me. For your Dad, and for yourself. And who knows! Maybe you'll find some girls for friends!" he laughed. I smiled at him.

"Now you're just trying to get rid of me." I laughed back. I stayed by his side for a long time, hoping that I'd be beside him for as long as I could.


	3. Chapter 3

Dusty and I talked for a while, mostly about nothing, avoiding the subject of everything that had happened. The thing that bothered me the most was that the next time I saw him in person, no matter when that was, he'd have that giant scar to remind me of what was my fault. And it was a big scar too.

Well, when my dad poked his head in to tell me I had to leave.

"Well…see ya Dusty…"

He smiled, motioning for me to get closer. Then, he kissed my cheek. I went a little red, knowing Dad was watching.

"See ya Shay. Hoe you have fun at your school. And remember, no one can tell you you're not human. If you're a mutant, than that's that. I love ya."

"I love you too Dusty. Well, bye."

"Bye Shay."

Walking out of the hospital, I felt my Dad's eyes on me.

"So, you and Dustin-"

"Yeah."

"Since when?" he asked. He didn't seem upset, but curious.

"Last night, but I've liked him for a long time, and so has he."

Dad stayed quiet, smiling to himself. He put his arm around my shoulders, like he was happy for me. I smiled too, leaning against him. My dad was the best.

* * *

We went back with the Professor and Jean to my house, pulling in front and my Dad and I got out.

"When does Shay leave professor?" Dad asked him.

"We can leave now, if that is what Shay wishes."

Dad looked sad when I realized I'd be leaving him home by himself. I wanted to go to this institute, but I didn't want Dad to be alone. I was the only person in his life since he worked from home.

"Dad, I promise I'll keep in touch. I won't ever forget to write or email or anything! I…I don't want you to feel alone…"

Jean and Professor Xavier were getting into the car, when Dad pulled me aside.

"Shay, I just wanted you to know…No matter how your powers affect you, even if something like last night happens, you'll never be anyone other than my Shay."

I felt a little embarrassed when he said that. Dad looked sad, but kept on his big grin for me.

"It's okay Shay. I've always got those runway models that come while you're at school. Not to mention the mail lady's pretty hot."

I laughed and hugged him, not really wanting to let him go just yet. Plus that mail lady was hideous…ugh…I shudder at the thought of her…

I was all packed and putting my things into the professor's car, hugging Dad goodbye.

"You be good Shay."

"I will."

"Shay?"

I turned, and behind Dad and I were Dusty's parents.

"Shay, we heard from Dusty that you were leaving." said his Mom.

"We wanted to see you off for him." his Dad told us. "And Lucille baked you some cookies for the trip."

She handed me a plate with saran wrap over it, cookies inside. The plate was warm.

"It's just our way of thanking you, for being Dusty's best friend, and for staying by his side until the ambulance came. And we're sorry about your house. Gas explosions are very destructive."

I felt confused. Who told them that it was a gas explosion?

_**That was my doing Shay. I'll explain later on.**_

I didn't look at him, but kept my focus on Dusty's parents.

"Thanks you two. I'll be sure to keep in touch with Dusty." I said.

"Oh but dear, the hospital won't appreciate all those long-distance calls all the time. You e-mail the hospital dear, and we'll set him up with a computer."

It would be pretty expensive to call all the time, but where would they buy a computer they could afford? They must really be serious about it. I wasn't going to dabble in it, it was none of my business.

"Well, thanks again Mr. and Mrs. Conner. I have to be going now."

Mr. Conner patted my shoulder, and Mrs. Conner hugged me really tight. I could only do my best to hug her back and keep myself from feeling like crying, as well as shield the cookies in between us. I moved to Dad and hugged him too, as tightly as I could.

"Bye Dad."

"Bye Baby…"

I got in the car, not wanting to see the look on his face. We drove off and I felt like crying, but I pulled myself together. I was going to be alright. I could make it on my own, no problem. But I wouldn't really be alone. I'd make new friends with the other students.

Jean kept glancing back at me, waiting for a reaction from me. I couldn't really give her one. I really didn't know how to feel. I wanted to call Dad and Dusty as soon as I got there, but how long could it take to get to New York from North Dakota?

"We're not taking this car all the way there, are we?" I asked. Xavier chuckled under his breath.

"No, we will be taking the Blackbird, as soon as we reach it."

Wondering what he meant, I sat back in my seat. What was a blackbird? Well, obviously not a bird, but a car maybe? I didn't really know about cars, and the titles of them only confused me more. Plus, it was a loooonng way to New York, and I doubted a car could get us all the way there.

"You guys want a cookie?"

* * *

We stopped at a large clearing a little ways away from the main part of town, not a soul in sight. The area was masked from the rest of the world by large lush trees and all in all, pretty secluded and uneventful.

"What's with the field?" I asked. We all got out of the car and I grabbed my luggage from the trunk.

"You'll see." He chuckled again. The Professor finished his cookie. I didn't know what to think about what he said. Sure enough, it was an empty field.

"I'm…not sure what I'm seeing here Professor. Looks like a field." I told him, feeling very sarcastic and confused.

"Oh, that's just the all-over camouflage." He said, taking out what looked like a car's remote starter. Pressing a button, a giant black jet-looking thing appeared right before my eyes. My slack-jawed expression must've been pretty funny because Jean came up to my side, smiling.

"Telepaths, institutes, jets…is there anything you guys don't have?" I asked stupidly.

"We're a little low on diet soda in there." Jean laughed. I nodded in amazement and stepped aboard behind her and the Professor, sitting in one of the many seats and my luggage to my side, but more towards the front. I'd never been on a plane before, much less a tricked out one for mutants. I wanted to sit somewhere that I could see out of the window.

Well, it turns out when you're at Mach 5 and about 40,000 feet in the air, you don't see much. In my boredom and disappointment, I must have fallen asleep, because we were there in no time and Jean was waking me up. Mach 5 does wonders to flight time.

"C'mon." she said, helping me up. "Everyone will want to meet you soon."

I took her hand, standing up and yawning. Then I thought, 'Did she just say _everybody_?' How many people lived at this…institute? How many people would I be meeting? I started to feel uneasy.

"Don't feel nervous." Jean assured me. "Everyone here is really nice!"

Could she tell I was nervous or was she reading my mind? Or was I putting out some kind of signal or aura? This was confusing.

Well, we landed through a tennis court and into a hanger inside the school and were greeted by a man. He had dark hair and broad shoulders, and I saw some stubble on his chin. He looked angry for some reason.

"Is…that guy mad at me?" I asked Jean. She looked out to see him and laughed.

"No, that's just Logan. He's always like that."

Always like what? Pissed? He just kind of stood there while the Professor and Jean got off the jet.

"Logan, good to see you." I heard the Professor say to someone. "We have a new student joining us. Could you please get her luggage from the Blackbird?"

I looked out to see a man. He had bluish-blackish hair and side burns, along with some stubble on his chin. He had a scowl on his face and piercing eyes. My nervousness peaked and I guess he could tell, because he looked right at me. I jumped a little.

"What's her power? I need to set up a training program soon." he grunted in a voice, almost sounding like he was growling.

"We're going to be working on that, but I suspect matter manipulation."

Manipulation. There was that word again. I observed this Logan guy, noticing that he was staring, no, glaring at me. Who put a bee up his ass?

'Okay Shay,' I thought to myself. 'calm down. You're just upset. Be polite, and make no enemies.' Then, not only was he glaring, but his nostrils flared out and in. Was…he smelling me?

"Welcome aboard Tiny. Hope to see you in the danger room soon."

Was that a good thing? This "Danger room"?

Jean looked at me apologetically.

"He's nice too, once he gets used to you." She told me. I nodded as this Logan guy walked past me into the get, grabbing my stuff. I felt a chill and walked out of the jet. Was I really that short? Short enough to be nicknamed "Tiny"? Oh, who was I kidding? I was.

Logan grabbed my stuff and we all went inside. I sat down on the couch, a little wobbly from the ride.

"Jean, show Shay to her room. It'll be the one next to Evan."

"Okay Professor."

She took me up the stairs, Logan close behind us with my luggage. I heard someone coming around the corner, talking with someone.

"Hey! Jean!"

She turned and I looked, to see a tall boy with red sunglasses. Behind him was a black boy with banana blonde hair and a skateboard tucked under his arm.

"Hey Scott. Hey Evan." she greeted them.

"Glad you're back. Is this the new girl?" The sunglasses guy asked. "Hey, I'm Scott." he said, waving.

"Hey man, name's Evan!" the other boy laughed. I lowered my head, feeling a little shy around these new people. I waved a little, and Jean introduced me.

"This is Shay. She's going to be rooming next to you Evan. She came from North Dakota. Shay, these are two of the students here at the institute."

"Hi." I said. "N-nice to meet-"

"Come on, let's get going! I'm not lugging this around while you kids chat." Logan growled. I nodded fiercely and Jean waved goodbye to the two boys and we kept walking.

* * *

"Well, here's your room Shay."

It was a lot bigger than my room at home. It had a giant bed and a computer desk next to it, with a flat screened computer on it and a printer/scanner. That was cool by the way. An expensive-looking vanity sat against the wall with a little chair. Next to that was a tall dresser. All of it made me feel a little overwhelmed. There was even a balcony across the room from me.

"Well, do you like it?" Jean asked me.

"It's…it's beautiful." I told her. "It's so big though…"

"You get used to it." She told me. " The Professor puts a lot of work into every room in the institute. Oh, and before I forget, I'll be showing you around Bayville high on your first day."

"But, I thought this was an institute." I said.

"Well, we study our mutant powers here, and do regular school over at the high school. We keep our powers a secret outside the institute. But, you'll get used to it soon enough."

I nodded, taking in the information.

"There." Logan put my suitcases on my bed and turned to me. "I'll take my tip later."

Jean grinned, and I laughed softly. But Logan looked serious. He walked out of the room with his hands in his pockets, his face looking as sour as before.

"Well, I'll let you unpack. Come downstairs later for lunch, 'kay?"

I nodded and she left, and I flopped down beside my suitcase. I felt so tired…

"Oh! I better e-mail Dad."

I opened up the computer and went to my e-mail. I started to type the draft.

_**Hey Dad!**_

_**I have arrived here, and it doesn't seem so bad. Everyone is really nice so far, and I could see myself being friends with a lot of them. The teachers seem nice, and I hope to learn how to control my…"mutant powers."**_

_**The fact that everyone here is a mutant is a little weird, but I can't see any of them being strange. It only makes me wonder more about what everyone here can do! But I know I can trust you not to tell anyone about what I tell you here. **_

_**Dad, I know you must be worried about me already, but I want you to know that I love you and that everything will be fine.**_

_**I haven't met many of the other students yet, but I'll write you as soon as I do, okay? I hope that that'll keep you occupied until I write next time, okay? **_

_**I love you, **_

_**Shay.**_

_**P.S.-I love you some more!**_

_**P.P.S.-REPLY **__**SOON**__** LAZY BONES!!!**_

_**P.P.P.S.-Be sure to keep those runway models offa ya and get the mail lady. The wart on her nose is just what you like in a lady.**_

I sent the letter after re-reading it a few times, then turned off the computer. I wanted Dad to feel like he wasn't alone at home. Ever since Mom left us, it was always just him and me. I still keep in touch with her from time to time, but I would have to write her about all of this later. I was sure that Dad hadn't seeing as he probably forgot her number, if not on purpose.

I opened my suitcase and began to unpack. I brought a lot of my clothes, but I didn't own that much to start with. I put them in the dresser. That whole thing not taking too long, I went back downstairs and found my way to the kitchen for lunch like Jean said.

* * *

The Professor was there at the head of the table. Jean was there, sitting next to the Scott boy, laughing. Evan was at the fridge, looking for something to eat. Jean spotted me and waved, pointing to the seat across from her. I felt kind of happy. Usually at my school, a girl like Jean wouldn't want anything to do with me. I moved to the table and sat down.

"So, you're the new kid around here huh? Well, don't be to nervous, we're all friends here. Jean tells me you're a little shy though."

I nodded, letting my shyness slip a little.

"So, what's your power?" Evan asked, sliding into the chair next to me. He surprised me a little.

"Well…P-professor Xavier says I have…uh…"

"Matter manipulation." he finished.

"Right…" I said, thanking him. "When my emotions are…strong, or something, I make stuff's matter change."

"Well, that doesn't sound too bad." Evan said. I felt a little depressed at that.

"It's pretty dangerous…people get really hurt…"

No one spoke for a second. Jean looked at Evan with a look that said, "Make up for that one."

"B-but-uh-…You'll get it under control soon here. I used to shoot spikes out of my skin when I sneezed. But now, it's cool."

"You still do that man." Scott said.

"Yeah…but not all the time."

"You…shoot spikes?" I asked, wondering how that could be possible.

"Yeah. It comes in handy sometimes. And it's not just shooting them, they come out of my skin and protect me."

He raised him arm, and big wooden bone-looking things poked out of his skin. I squeaked a little, the sight of it making me uneasy. He laughed a little, and Scott pushed him a little from across the table.

"Sorry, Evan's just kidding you. At least he doesn't shoot lasers from his eyes."

"Lasers…huh."

All these kids are like me…They all have problems. They're all away from their families…None of them treat me different because of what part of town I'm from, or that I'm not pretty…

"Professor?"

He looked at me, his fork clinking gently on his plate. I took a deep breath.

"I think…I'll…like it here…"


End file.
